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What is composite bonding?
Composite bonding is a tooth-coloured resin that a dentist applies directly to the surface of your teeth, shapes by hand and hardens with a light. It is used to fix chips, close gaps, change the shape of a tooth or even out its colour. In most cases it is done in one visit with no drilling and no injection (Truly Dental). In Ireland it is priced per tooth: €125 to €800, with a median of €250 (price survey).
Every clinical point and price on this page links to a page we read on 31 October 2026.
Key points
- Material: composite resin, the same family of material as a white filling, colour-matched to your teeth.
- Fixes: chips, worn edges, gaps, small shape problems, uneven shade, and mild misalignment by disguise.
- Doesn't fix: bite problems, pronounced crowding, or gum disease. Those come first.
- Lasts: years, not decades. Expect polishing and touch-ups; studies report annual failure rates of about 1% to 3%.
Composite bonding on teeth: how it's done
The appointment follows the same steps at most Irish clinics:
- Shade match. The dentist picks a composite shade to match your teeth (Colm Smith Dental). If you want whiter teeth, whitening is done first, because whitening gel doesn't change the colour of composite (Winning Smile).
- Preparing the surface. The tooth is cleaned and the surface is lightly etched or roughened so the resin grips (Truly Dental). Local anaesthetic is usually not needed (Colm Smith Dental).
- Building it up. The composite goes on in layers. Each layer is shaped and then hardened with a curing light (Colm Smith Dental).
- Shaping and polishing. The dentist refines the shape, checks your bite and polishes the surface so it reflects light like enamel.
Winning Smile in Carrigaline says the bonding appointment can take up to two hours (Winning Smile); Colm Smith Dental says two to three hours is common for careful work (Colm Smith Dental). There's usually a consultation before it.
What composite bonding can fix
- Chipped or worn edges. Resin is added to the biting edge to rebuild length and shape. See Ciara's case in our before and after gallery.
- Gaps. A gap between the front teeth, or small side gaps, closed by building out the sides of the teeth. Studies of direct composite space closure report high survival: 96% over a mean of seven years in one 2026 study of 147 restorations (Kim et al.).
- Shape. Short, small or uneven teeth made longer or more regular.
- Colour. Patchy or dark teeth covered with a layer of composite in an even shade.
- Mild misalignment, by disguise. Colm Smith Dental says bonding can camouflage slight rotations, and that braces or aligners are often more suitable for teeth that aren't straight (Colm Smith Dental). More on overlapping teeth.
What it can't fix
- Bite problems. If a crooked smile comes from an overbite or underbite, bonding won't correct it (Swords Dental).
- Pronounced crowding. Clinics recommend Invisalign, short-term braces or fixed braces first (Truly Dental).
- Heavy grinding. South Dublin SmileHub says bruxism can rule bonding out because the composite won't be strong enough (SmileHub). Other clinics fit a night guard to protect it (DentiCare).
- Gum problems. Clinics describe it as suitable for people with good dental and gum health (McEvoy Dental). See bonding and receding gums.
- Heavily filled or badly worn teeth can be hard to bond to, which is one of the things the dentist checks at consultation (Colm Smith Dental).
Edge bonding, partial bonding and composite veneers
"Composite bonding" covers different amounts of work, and the price follows. White Smile Dental publishes three levels: incisal edge bonding at €150 a tooth for chip repairs and edge reshaping, partial bonding at €200 for covering specific areas and closing gaps, and full composite bonding at €250 for reshaping and covering the whole tooth (White Smile Dental). Full-surface work is also sold as a "composite veneer". When you compare quotes, ask which of these each one is. More on edge bonding.
Is it reversible?
Mostly. The composite is added on top of the natural tooth, unlike a porcelain veneer or crown, which needs the tooth reduced first (Swords Dental). Clinics describe it as repairable and removable later (DentiCare). The etching and any polishing of the surface are small, but your dentist should tell you exactly what will be done to each tooth. The full comparison is on bonding vs veneers.
How long it lasts
In a four-year study of 216 front-tooth restorations, overall survival was 90.3%, with annual failure rates of 0.9% to 3.4%, and 100% if you count failures that were repaired (Korkut and Türkmen). In a seven-year study, chips and fractures were most likely in the first year, and drinking staining drinks was linked to discolouration (Lempel et al.). The full picture is on how long composite bonding lasts.
What it costs
We read the published price lists of 75 Irish clinics in September 2026: the median is €250 a tooth and the range is €125 to €800. Six front teeth at the median comes to about €1,500 (price survey). Every price by county is on the cost page; to find a clinic, start at composite bonding near me.
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Get the prices for your county
Every clinic we found publishing a bonding price in your county, what each figure covers, and an introduction to a Dental Council registered dentist near you.
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Questions about composite bonding
What is composite bonding on teeth?
It is tooth-coloured composite resin applied directly to your teeth, shaped by hand and hardened with a light, to fix chips, gaps, shape or colour. It is usually done in one visit without drilling or an injection.
Does composite bonding damage your teeth?
It is added on top of the natural tooth, so little or no tooth is removed, unlike a porcelain veneer or crown. The surface is lightly etched so the resin grips. Ask your dentist exactly what will be done to each tooth.
Does composite bonding hurt?
Usually not. Most clinics say no anaesthetic is needed because there is no drilling in a standard case.
Can composite bonding be whitened?
No. Whitening gel doesn't change the colour of composite, which is why clinics whiten your teeth first and then match the bonding to the new shade.
How much is composite bonding in Ireland?
It is priced per tooth. Across 75 Irish clinics the published range is €125 to €800 and the median is €250, so six front teeth is about €1,500 at the median.
See bonding on your own teeth first
Send one selfie and see what composite bonding could look like on your teeth, then meet a Dental Council-registered dentist near you. Free, no obligation.
Free smile previewMore composite bonding guides
Edge bondingEdge only or the whole tooth, and the price gap.Whitening before bondingThe order, the 2-week wait, the prices.AftercareThe first 48 hours, food, stain and night guards.Before and afterFive real cases, grouped by concern.Composite bonding near mePublished prices in all 26 counties.Overlapping teethWhen bonding can hide an overlap.Bottom teethWhy the bite decides it.Receding gumsRoots, black triangles, and what comes first.What it costs in Ireland75 clinics' published prices.How long it lastsWhat the clinical studies found.Bonding vs veneersPrice, lifespan and what each does to the tooth.Turkey vs IrelandThe published prices, and the Dental Council's checklist.
Sources (12)
Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages on 31 October 2026. We are not affiliated with any clinic or organisation listed.
- Truly Dental, composite bonding: trulydental.ie
- compositebonding.ie price survey of 75 clinics, September 2026: compositebonding.ie
- Colm Smith Dental (Cootehill and Monaghan), composite bonding: colmsmithdental.ie
- Winning Smile (Carrigaline), composite bonding: winningsmile.ie
- Kim et al., Journal of Dentistry 2026 (PMID 41529786): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Swords Dental, composite bonding: swords-dental.ie
- South Dublin SmileHub Dentistry, composite bonding: southdublin.smilehub.ie
- DentiCare Clinic (Phibsborough), composite bonding: denticare.ie
- McEvoy Dental (Dublin 2), composite bonding: mcevoydental.ie
- White Smile Dental, composite bonding prices: whitesmiledental.ie
- Korkut and Türkmen, Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry 2021 (PMID 33354867): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Lempel et al., Dental Materials 2017 (PMID 28256273): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov